The Cuckoo Search (CS) is apt to be trapped in local optimum relating to complex target functions. This drawback has been recognized as the bottleneck of its widespread use. This paper, with the purpose of improving CS, puts forward a Cuckoo Search algorithm featuring Multi-Learning Strategies (LSCS). In LSCS, the Converted Learning Module, which features the Comprehensive Learning Strategy and Optimal Learning Strategy, tries to make a coordinated cooperation between exploration and exploitation, and the switching in this part is decided by the transition probability Pc. When the nest fails to be renewed after m iterations, the Elite Learning Perturbation Module provides extra diversity for the current nest, and it can avoid stagnation. The Boundary Handling Approach adjusted by Gauss map is utilized to reset the location of nest beyond the boundary. The proposed algorithm is evaluated by two different tests: Test Group A(ten simple unimodal and multimodal functions) and Test Group B(the CEC2013 test suite). Experiments results show that LSCS demonstrates significant advantages in terms of convergence speed and optimization capability in solving complex problems.

Dai-Yuan (DY) conjugate gradient method is an effective method for solving large-scale unconstrained optimization problems. In this paper, a new DY method, possessing a spectral conjugate parameter βk, is presented. An attractive property of the proposed method is that the search direction generated at each iteration is descent, which is independent of the line search. Global convergence of the proposed method is also established when strong Wolfe conditions are employed. Finally, comparison experiments on impulse noise removal are reported to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

With the existing of coverage holes, the Quality of Service (such as event response, package delay, and the life time et al.) of a Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) may become weaker. In order to recover the holes, one can locate them by identifying the boundary nodes on their edges. Little effort has been made to distinguish the boundary nodes in a model where wireless sensors are randomly deployed on a three-dimensional surface. In this paper, we propose a distributed method which contains three steps in succession. It first projects the 1-hop neighborhood of a sensor to the plane. Then, it sorts the projected nodes according to their angles and finds out if there exists any ring formed by them. At last, the algorithm validates a circle to confirm that it is a ring surrounding the node. Our solution simulates the behavior of rotating a semicircle plate around a sensor under the guidance of its neighbors. Different from the existing results, our method transforms a three-dimensional problem into a two-dimensional one and maintaining its original topology, and it does not rely on any complex Hamiltonian Cycle finding to test the existence of a circle in the neighborhood of a sensor. Simulation results show our method outperforms others at the correctness and effectiveness in identifying the nodes on the edges of a three-dimensional WSN.